Citizen TV Swahili news anchor Swaleh Mdoe is one of the finest in his trade. With his many shortcomings aside, Mdoe is that news anchor who throws in a witty remark when he reads news, and he doesn’t stop laughing at his own jokes. Then he introduced ‘Tafakari ya Babu’. These are riddles he tells after he is done with reading news-and viewers love every bit of it.
Starting out
The news anchor started out at Nation TV (NTV) between the year 1999-2001. Then he moved to Standard Media Group where he anchored news and doubled as the news editor at KTN between 2001-2007.
He moved to Royal Media Services in 2007 in the same capacity.
Controversy
His life has been nothing short of controversial. In 2014, Fauzia Ahmed filed a case against Mdoe seeking to have the court order his employer to attach part of the news anchor’s salary for the maintenance of a child he sired in 2004.
Swaleh denied being the biological father of the child saying that he was married with children.
“I have never cohabited with the plaintiff, as she has failed to provide any details of where we lived. I’m a married man with a wife and children, and it would not have been possible to cohabit with someone else,” the newscaster responded. Probably fed by reports appearing on a section of the media, Fauzia claimed Mdoe earned kes750,000 monthly salary.
Going broke
Mdoe is extravagant and doesn’t seem to be too concerned about those rainy days. Early this year, Mdoe took to social media to put one of his kidneys up for sell. He was broke and his doctor had told him it was okay to dispose one at the right price. He told a local daily:
“I have decided to sell one of my kidneys after consulting my doctor on the matter. I have some pressing financial issues that I want to offset and all I can think of right now is selling my kidney. Feel free to share my mobile phone number (0722733130). I need to do this urgently,” the popular journalis said. He was selling his kidney for a staggering kes2.4 million.
Bank seizes car
According to Business Today, the Swaleh Mdoe’s Mercedes Benz was carted away by one of the four banks he owed money.
Blogger Robert Alai said of the journalist in a tweet:
“Swaleh Mdoe should be arrested, thoroughly caned by chokoras in Nairobi then also charged with selling human organs. Swaleh has a good Job paying him close to half a million but he spends it all on alcohol and women. This trend must not be encouraged…”
Swaleh Mdoe salary
The journalist takes home a net salary not exceeding 400,000. This amount is eaten by loans-unfortunately.
